Figure 1-1. The Relationship Between The Programming Environment; Ni-Daq, And Your Hardware - National Instruments DAQ PCI E Series User Manual

Chapter 1 Introduction
PCI E Series User Manual
RTSI, self-calibration, messaging, and acquiring data to extended
memory.
NI-DAQ has both high-level DAQ I/O functions for maximum ease of
use and low-level DAQ I/O functions for maximum flexibility and
performance. Examples of high-level functions are streaming data to
disk or acquiring a certain number of data points. An example of a
low-level function is writing directly to registers on the DAQ device.
NI-DAQ does not sacrifice the performance of National Instruments
DAQ devices because it lets multiple devices operate at their peak.
NI-DAQ also internally addresses many of the complex issues between
the computer and the DAQ hardware such as programming interrupts
and DMA controllers. NI-DAQ maintains a consistent software
interface among its different versions so that you can change platforms
with minimal modifications to your code. Whether you are using
conventional programming languages or National Instruments
application software, your application uses the NI-DAQ driver
software, as illustrated in Figure 1-1.
Conventional
Programming Environment
DAQ or
SCXI Hardware

Figure 1-1. The Relationship between the Programming Environment,

NI-DAQ
Driver Software

NI-DAQ, and Your Hardware

1-4
ComponentWorks,
LabVIEW,
LabWindows/CVI, or
VirtualBench
Personal
Computer or
Workstation
© National Instruments Corporation